Tim Hus didn’t set out to be the cowboy who sings about Canada.
“It just sort of happened,” he says. “I started writing songs about what I knew, and because this is where I live, I ended up singing about it.”
Born and raised in Nelson, Hus moved to Calgary at 24 to launch his country music career. Now nine years and five records later, he’s signed to Stony Plain Records and spends most of his time on the road.
“I play 200 concerts a year all around the provinces and make it up to the territories once in a while, and play over seas and in the States,” he says.
He’s spending May touring BC and stops tonight for a show at The Royal in Nelson.
“With all the travelling I do, as you can imagine, it’s particularly special to come back to the West Kootenay.”
Hus says he’s always liked playing small venues like in Nelson. But in recent years he’s been on tour as the opening act for Canadian country legend Stompin’ Tom Connors and has had the chance to play stadiums with 5,000 people watching.
“For a younger musician like myself it was an amazing opportunity,” he says. “Tom called me up and said he liked all the songs that I was singing about the small towns across Canada and how I was working so hard to bring my show to every town.”
Connors invited him on tour to play two sets at his show, before and after intermission, and to join the Stompin’ Tom band.
“Really I’d get to play for his audience almost as long as he did,” Hus says.
That helped him get exposure and also meet accomplished musicians like fiddler Billy MacInnis, who plays for Stompin’ Tom and Prairie Oyster, and who, along with bassist Riley Tubbs, now make up Hus’ travelling band.
The trio take the stage at The Royal Friday night after 9 p.m. Tickets $15.